Guy Brighton's Wishful Thinking

SUN 27th JUNE : CONEY ISLAND

The Lady and I visited Coney Island to see the new artists' signs on the amusement parks and freak shows.

Quite a spectacle - and that's just the regular people milling about. See all the photos below.

THURS 27th MAY : NOSING 'ROUND HOBOKEN

Hung with Andrew on Thursday.

Bummed around Tribeca then jumped on a ferry over to Hoboken across the river in Jersey. It's the equivalent of Essex. City boys and cheeky girls. Had a few beers before I was ordered home / to a cocktail party with the Lady's friends. Rocked around. Oh, remember meeting this guy outside a Hoboken Deli listening to his radio on the bench - you know the type - he first asks us if we are hiring (thinks we're in the music biz), then realizes we are from England and points at the radio - it's playing Kylie - and says 'she's from there' - we disagree and tell him. He says 'Australia? Same difference.' Then he starts asking what the difference is between the UK and US and Andrew pipes up the one about how the news is so different - i.e. you know what's going on in the world. His reply (which is pretty good for a yank) is 'well, we don't want to know because we're not nosy.' Ha!

SUN 23rd MAY : PITCHING IN THE RAIN

Missed another great day sitting beside the design team for this pitch. Great guys - hot sweaty office in Tribeca.

By the time I got home I was worried and stressed about the work. It got a little rainy, so I went for a run and saw a beautiful red sun go down over the Hudson River - one of those suns with an orange top. Wish I had my camera.

The run didn't make me lose my stress so the rain came and the Lady made me strip the paint from the rest of the table iin the rain. Therapy, she assured me.

THURS 20th MAY : OUT WITH THE IRISH

With the drought of drinking chums I made the decision to get back in touch with 'the Irish'. It had been a while since I had fallen over with this lot; some had moved away.

It was supposed to be a quick catch up, a little Anglo-Celtic chit chat. I met Adie at the Half King on 26th and 10th. A pub type pub where they still ask you to wait and try to seat you. As I walk in, I see Andy at the back of the bar - gettting a beer in. Good timing. Haven't seen him for a while. Would be good to have a man to man chit chat about nothing in particular.

As I walk down to him and suddenly 4 girls are waving at me. Yes 4. But bloody hell. It's the Lady and her mates! What are they doing here? Eating. What in this place? In all the bars in all of New York and they have to.... I manage to say quick hellos and escape to drink a couple of Stellas with Adie before we are reeled in to the girls' table. Andy doesn't seem to mind as he takes a mild fancy to blondie sat beside the Lady. Chit chat. Chit chat.

Two of the Lady's mates so it's just me, the Lady, blondie and Adie and what should be a quiet night nursing a couple of pints turns into a few more. We should go home but the Irish like to have a last drink. A round of Jamieson's are ordered and slowly downed. Then Andy suggests just one more. Margheritta's! The Lady is getting giggly now. I am feeling queezy.

Somehow we all manage to leave the bar. I think it was closing. Out in the street we hail a cab for blondie. She says her goodbyes and the Lady and I turn to say goodbye to Adie. Where is he? We look around to see that he's snuck himself into the cab with blondie! I wish him the luck of the Irish. The Lady mutters something about, 'your mates...'.

SAT 17th APR : BROOKLYN MUSEUM

Dragged the Lady and her brother over to the open day at the newly renovated Brooklyn Museum.

How far? she asks. But the 2 got us there in no time. Nice local artist exhibit on 4th and 5th floors.

A few photos:

Then down to Prospect Park to hang and watch....

More photos >>>

FRI 9th APR : CHILLED FRIDAY IN BROOKLYN

Bunked off on Friday as the Lady had a day off. People in America need more time off!!!

Went up to Brooklyn for a little explore - and to try to convince her that it may be worth a move out here....

Started at Smith Street - a fairly nice neighbourhood called Carrol Gardens - it has a few boutiques mixed in with the older locals shops - a bit like Crouch End! Then walked down through Fulton Street Market - which is like Oxford Street on a bad day and then over to Brooklyn Heights at the north west corner of Brooklyn.





A built up hill that overlooks the south side of Manhattan - nice, smart, boring. Got a promenade overlooking the financial district and the rest of the city.





We walked down under the Brooklyn Bridge and into a developing district called DUMBO. A small area under the bridges. Had Pizza at a great local place called Patsy's (altho the name on the door is different). Had coffee, mooched around, looked in arty and furniture stores.





Then we went over to one of my favourite places in Brooklyn: Vingear Hill: a small quiet old town that New York seems to have forgotten. Will take some more photos next time...

SAT 3rd APRIL : SATURDAY WANDER NEW YORK WONDER

A few pics....